Month: February 2013

 

Actually, deputy chief of the South Dundas Fire Services, Philip Thompson (far left), didn’t really need the extinguisher as he took up his duties as one of the judges at the annual Iroquois Legion, Branch 370, Great Chili Taste-Off held Saturday, February 23, at the Legion. There were 13 different and exciting entries (all names hidden from the judges) contending for 2013 honours as best chili, with a delicious meal waiting for ticket holders once the judges made their decision. The judges looked for what they considered to be the “best-tasting chili” as there are no formal categories at the Taste-Off, organized by Hilda Barkley and Delaine Greenough, of the Legion Ways and Means Committee. “This is a fund raiser, and another fun happening in the busy schedule of our Legion,” they said. Bill Vanderspank, (second from the left), Iroquois president, popped in for a little preview taste, as judges Brian Clifford, vice president of Cardinal Legion, Branch 105 and Candace Menges, representing the Iroquois and District Business group, dug in.

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 New anniversary, new season, new shows, new seats! There’s a lot that’s new at the Playhouse this Season.

The Playhouse has kept its eye on the pulse of what audiences want: top-notch productions of popular and entertaining shows featuring some of the country’s best professional actors, singers, directors and designers. 

“We have an unwritten agreement with our audience to give them shows that are well-produced and shows that entertain them, make them laugh, make them tap their toes and sometimes make them think about life itself,” says artistic director, Donnie Bowes, “but always through a comic eye.”

The 30th anniversary season comes hot on the heels of last year’s record attendance of over 43,000. The Playhouse continues to be a significant contributor to the local economy and tourist trade, bringing hundreds of visitors to South Dundas.

 To celebrate its 30^th anniversary in 2013, UCP recently installed new seats for the comfort of its ever-growing audience. However, Bowes states, “The most important way we’re celebrating this landmark year is by continuing to give our audiences the shows they really want to see. ”

The 2013 season starts April 23 to May 5, with Wichita Lineman, featuring the music of Glen Campbell, a show created by Playhouse favourite Leisa Way and her band. It stars Aaron Solomon, who has wowed Playhouse audiences, along with co-stars Leisa Way and Randall Kempf. Songs range from Bobbie Gentry to The Beach Boys.

The Playhouse’s Summer Comedy Series follows with four brand new shows never before seen on the Playhouse stage.

 The hilarious Whose Wives Are They Anyway? runs June 6-30. Buddies John and David, enjoying a golfing weekend, are confronted with a boss who demands to meet their spouses: comic confusion quickly ensues. 

Next up, July 4-28, is the mad-cap comedy Murder at the Howard Johnsons. a production filled with thrills, suspense, surprises and a ton of laughs.  

The hysterical farce No Sex, Please, We’re British hits the stage August 1-25. A desperate couple sends away for some glassware and instead receives shipments of adult material they frantically try to hide. Naturally all goes hilariously wrong.

The summer series wraps up September 5-29 with the comic and touching production of The Cemetery Club.  Audiences will love Ida, Lucille and Doris, three widows who meet once a month to visit their husbands’ graves. 

The Playhouse also plans a busy fall featuring the return of Marshall Button’s wonderful creation, Lucien, October 3-6. 

Vegas Knights brings Big Band music alive when that spectacular production takes the stage by storm, October 18-23.  

The wonderful holiday family classic, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, ends the Playhouse’s 2013 season, featuring a huge and multi-talented cast.

Flex Passes for the summer series are on sale until June 6: regular priced tickets are available all year. For information, tickets and brochures contact the Box Office at 543-3713, 1-877-550-3650 or www.uppercanadaplayhouse.com.

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 An important fund raiser is being held at the Matilda Hall on April 6 for Mark, Lisa, Brody and Brett Froats, whose lives changed dramatically last fall.

Brody, who recently celebrated his 17th birthday, was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome, a debilitating disease that has caused obesity, severe muscle atrophy and heart and respiratory problems. It is no longer possible for Brody to be cared for at home. His condition has deteriorated, and he must be hospitalized and cared for day-to-day.

Lisa, Brody’s mother, is fighting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She just completed six months of chemotherapy, and still faces a CT Scan, a PET Scan and Bone Marrow biopsy. She is with Brody on the days she feels well enough, staying over in the city. 

Brett Froats, nine, remains at home to attend school during the week.

Father Mark Froats is self-employed, but has been unable to work since Brody was admitted to the hospital. Mark must be involved in his son’s care 24/7, costing the family their sole provider, a situation that will continue for an unknown length of time. Family and friends help the Froats’ out as much as possible, but expenses keep mounting and are never-ending.

The Matilda Hall Fund Raiser on April 6, is an organized community event run through the combined efforts of the Morrisburg and District, Iroquois-Matilda, Finch, Chesterville and Winchester Lions clubs. 

The fund raiser will feature a Car Rally, and later a roast beef dinner prepared and catered by local caterer, Gayle Hart. (Dinners must be reserved in advance. Call Kelly deDekker at 613-535-1424 for tickets.)

Several local bands and a professional Elvis Impersonator will provide lots of entertainment  at the Hall during the afternoon and evening, with the cost of admission a donation of your choice to the cause. The day will end with an enjoyable dance. 

Master of Ceremonies for the special day will be small business owner, Oddfellow member and devoted community volunteer, David Lapier. The Williamsburg Independent Order of Oddfellows will operate the cash bar.

The Pulling Together Team has begun canvassing for donation items for both a silent and a live auction. Well known auctioneer, Hugh Fawcett, will auction the larger items. This should be a very exciting part of the day.

Mark Saturday, April 6, on your calendar, and support this important fund raiser for the entire Froats family. 

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 Dan Summers, son of the late Jack Summers and his wife, Christine (Blok) and stepson of the late Art Martell, has achieved a very significant honour. He has been named one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals. 

The announcement was made February 7, 2013, by the South Slave Divisional Education Council (SSDEC), where Summers is principal of Deninu School in the North West Territories.

He will travel to Toronto to receive the national award from The Learning Partnership at a formal ceremony.

A graduate of Timothy Christian Elementary School who also attended Seaway District High School in Iroquois, Summers completed high school, university and his teacher’s training in Alberta. 

The SSDEC stated that “We believe that Principal Summers was selected for this award because of his excellent leadership in improving learning outcomes at Deninu School. Since his arrival in 2009, he has implemented a variety of research-based strategies for maximizing achievement…that have been a great success.”

The SSDEC also said that Summers has shown himself from the outset to be “up to the challenge,” an educational leader who “embraced high expectations with vigor. The improved Deninu School results have also contributed to the success of the region in its efforts to close the achievement gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students.”

Notified of his award selection, Summers commented that he felt that his success was the result of the “strengths of each of my staff and the all hands on deck attitudes. I have never once felt we are eight separate schools, DEAs and a Central Office. Rather, it’s always seemed to be to be one big effort.”

As a further indication of his educational achievements as both teacher and principal, Dan Summers and his entire Deninu staff were also awarded the NWT 2012 Premier’s Award of Excellence.

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“This is truly a very busy church,” interim pastor Lorna Casselman, of the Morrisburg Pentecostal Tabernacle Church, told The Leader. “There is a lot going on. It’s amazing how a smaller church like this one is so deeply involved in the community. We regularly have many events happening.” 

Following the retirement of long time pastor, the Reverend Duncan Perry, on December 30, 2012, the church selection committee is currently in the process of seeking the right candidate to become the new full time pastor.

In the meantime, the reverend Lorna Casselman has stepped in on a part time basis to minister to the congregation until that new pastor is named. 

“I am definitely following in some very big shoes after pastor Duncan,” Casselman said. “He’s left a big mark in the church and in the area.”

Pastor Lorna was born in Montreal (“I speak a little French,” she laughed, “but it was really the English side of the city.”). She said that she was at a church youth convention when, at age 12, “I felt the Lord’s call.”

Following high school, she attended the Eastern Pentecostal Bible College (now Masters College and Seminary) in Peterborough. She met her future husband, Robert ‘Bob’ Casselman, also a student there, and “never looked back.”

With Bob as the senior pastor and Lorna as associate pastor, particularly as their three children grew, the Casselmans served congregations in Quebec and Ontario. In later years, “we served side by side in our congregations.” 

Bob, who spent his teen years on a farm outside Morrisburg, loved this area: the two of them built a home in South Dundas about 30 years ago for their retirement. 

In 2003, they came to live in the area. 

Unfortunately, Bob passed away in 2005. The Casselman’s eldest daughter also passed away not long after her father.

Lorna continued to serve the church as senior pastor in Long Sault for the next 6.5 years. She retired and had “three months off from full time before I was called to Morrisburg to serve as interim pastor. 

I am officially part time, working three days a week, but the reality is that we are busy and there is a lot going on.”

She will continue to serve until  the church’s selection committee has had time to study the resumés and sermons of candidates, and has had the opportunity to bring potential pastors to the area to meet with the committee and the congregation.

“My job is to keep the church functioning and to prepare for the new pastor. I will definitely be here for as long as I am needed.”

As a member of the South Dundas community, pastor Casselman made a very special journey in September, 2012. 

She travelled with the SD&G Highlanders to Europe to trace the Glens’ actions during World War II, from the landing beaches all the way to Germany as the war ended. 

The regular padre of the Glens had been unable to make this trip, and pastor Casselman was asked to serve as the forces’ padre for the two week journey. “It was the trip of a life time, a fantastic time,” she said. 

Pastor Casselman sees a strong future ahead for the church. “The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada are still growing,” she said. “We follow a strict adherence to the word of God. People seem to respond.”

The Morrisburg Pentecostal Tabernacle Church will know “when the right candidate for full time pastor arrives,” the reverend Lorna Casselman said. “When that person comes, then I will go back to being a member of this church…if they haven’t kicked me out,” she added, with a definite twinkle in her eye.

 

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The most prestigious of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal presentation ceremonies was held, February 6, at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, and among the guests was Iroquois resident John Ross, founder of Ross Video.

At the Diamond Jubilee Gala, hosted by The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, members of the Order of Canada, residing in Ontario, were presented with their Diamond Jubilee Medals.

“What a wonderful experience,” said Ross. “This was my first experience to be among such a very distinguished group, who were all receiving the medals for a variety of accomplishments in various fields.”

Of the event, Ross said, “It couldn’t have been done better.”

The event drew to a close Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee Year, as February 6, 2013 was the 61st anniversary of The Queen’s accession to the Throne.

A number of prominent Canadians acted as medal presenters. Ross was presented his medal by Jian Ghomeshi.

Some of the other medal presenters included Ken Dryden, Dan Akroyd, Paul Henderson, Tommy Hunter, Elizabeth Manley, Valerie Pringle, George Stromboulopoulos and Brian Williams.

Peter Mansbridge was master of ceremonies for the event, and Ross enjoyed having the opportunity to talk to Mansbridge. “We have a lot in common,” said Ross of their CBC affiliations, Order of Canada honours, and career starts in Manitoba.

A pre-recorded Message from Prince Charles was played at the event, and there was also a link to Chris Hadfield in the International Space Station.

The entertainment line-up for the evening was star-studded including Michael Burgess, Liona Boyd and Tom Cochrane.

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Nearly $160,000 worth of food was distributed to people and families in need through the Dundas County Food Bank in 2012.

Dundas County Food Bank officials discussed the facts and figures of 2012 at their annual general meeting held February 18, at the J.W. MacIntosh Seniors Support Centre in Williamsburg.

The 1,818 boxes of food went  out the front doors of the food bank’s Morrisburg and Winchester locations. Forty per cent of those people fed with the contents were children.

There were nearly 5,600 visits to the DCFB recorded last year, 372 more than the previous year.

“As we know, some things never change,” said Alvin Runnalls, DCFB board chair, at the meeting. “The numbers of people we help keep growing.”

“Our numbers have increased, but the generosity of our communities has grown as well, and we have thus been able to keep up with that growth,” said Runnalls.

In 2012, $45,000 was budgeted for food purchases, but necessary food purchases exceeded that budget by about $10,000. The 2013 budget is $56,000.

Purchasing by the food bank, especially of food staples is done in bulk, on sale, and often locally to maximized the dollars donated to the food bank.

Some small changes have been made by the food bank coordinators as cost cutting measures, such as no longer purchasing baby wipes and eliminating peanut butter from the regular food boxes, giving it out instead by request only.

Usage of the Morrisburg location of the food bank is slightly higher than the Winchester location. About 58 per cent of people who used the food bank in 2012, used the Morrisburg location.

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“Council wasn’t elected to be experts,” so says Nigel Bellchamber, local government consultant who facilitated a planning and priorities session for South Dundas council and senior staff, February 11, at the McIntosh Country Inn, Morrisburg.

“I think the session was a good refresher of council/staff roles, as we can all get into poor habits,” said South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds following the meeting.

Bellchamber spoke about the decision-making process which starts with identifying an issue. 

“These issues can come from anywhere, once they are identified, they are thrown to staff for analysis and recommendations,” said Bellchamber, a municipal expert.

“Staff are paid to solve problems. It’s not up to council to solve them themselves,” he said.

Once staff makes a recommendation, council then decides whether or not to support the recommendation.

“Eighty-five percent of the time council agrees with staff,” said Bellchamber. After the decision is made, it is then up to staff to implement the measures.

“That’s the way it should work,” said Bellchamber. 

When council and staff are in sync, it allows council to spend the bulk of their time on, what Bellchamber calls, the most important issues, meaning those decisions which are more contentious or difficult.

While the morning was spent discussing council and staff roles, the focus of the afternoon session was working together to identify priorities.

“We did identify some priorities and they will come to light in the budget process and over the next two years,” said Byvelds.

While council members had the opportunity to identify and rank their priorities, Byvelds did not see one that stood out among the group.

The cost of the special session was approximately $2,000.

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